ISTANBUL
Monitoring developments in the Middle East has become harder as access to commercial satellite imagery vital for open-source intelligence is restricted amid the ongoing US-Israeli attacks on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes.
According to a report by The Economist on Sunday, a researcher said on March 6 that satellite images of Iran’s coastline that had been accessible a day earlier were no longer available.
Planet Labs, which operates the world’s largest fleet of Earth-imaging satellites, imposed a four-day delay on releasing high-resolution images of the Middle East after the war began on Feb. 28.
The delay was later extended to two weeks, covering the entire war so far and expanding beyond the Gulf states to include US-allied bases and all of Iran, drawing anger from some customers such as business-intelligence firms.
Vantor, formerly known as Maxar, has long withheld images of US bases and restricted photographs of Ukraine since 2022, while Planet has historically been more open in releasing images of sensitive sites, according to the report.
Planet told customers the move aimed to balance transparency with the need to prevent its imagery from being used to plan attacks on allied and NATO forces or civilians.
It said the decision was made independently after consultations with intelligence and military experts, though the Trump administration has privately pressured satellite firms to limit sensitive imagery, with some analysts suspecting the move also aims to prevent images revealing US and allied losses, the report said.
The report also noted that governments have previously restricted satellite imagery, including a former US ban on high-resolution images of Israel lifted in 2020, while Planet delayed Gaza images in 2023, and the EU reduced the quality of Red Sea satellite images last year during fighting with Yemen’s Houthis.
Frequent satellite coverage vital
The report noted that Chinese companies such as Jilin-1 and Siwei are also expanding their activities in the satellite imaging sector, while the European firm Airbus, in which the French and German governments hold major stakes, operates its own Earth-observation satellites.
The report stressed that the main challenge is maintaining frequent satellite coverage rather than image quality.
With real satellite images delayed or restricted, analysts warned that AI-generated images and misinformation could fill the gap, while scrutiny of US and Israeli strikes may also become harder.
Recent developments in Middle East
Since Israel and the US launched joint attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, killing around 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, hostilities have escalated.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets.
